麻豆传媒

Expert Analysis

• Surprise NC COVID Ruling Revises Reasonable Expectations

  

  The North Carolina Supreme Court's recent finding in favor of policyholders in a suit for business interruption coverage due to COVID-19 shutdown orders runs contrary to most other state and federal courts' holdings on the issue, and may revitalize the reasonable expectations doctrine in the state, say attorneys at Goldberg Segalla.

• How Trial Attys Can Wield Amended Federal Evidence Rules

  

  Trial lawyers should assess recent amendments to four Federal Rules of Evidence and a newly enacted rule on illustrative aids to determine how to best use the rules to enhance pretrial discovery and trial strategy, says Stewart Edelstein, former litigation chair at Cohen & Wolf.

• Identifying Deepfakes During Evidence Collection, Discovery

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  Attorneys must familiarize themselves with the tools used to create and detect deepfakes 鈥� media manipulated by artificial intelligence to convincingly mimic real people and events 鈥� as well as best practices for keeping this fabricated evidence out of court, says Bijan Ghom at Saxton & Stump.

• 1 Year After Rule 702 Changes, Courts Have Made Progress

  

  In the year since amendments to the Federal Rules of Evidence went into effect, many federal judges have applied the new expert witness standard correctly, excluding unreliable testimony from their courts 鈥� but now state courts need to update their own rules accordingly, says Lee Mickus at Evans Fears.

• An Underutilized Tool To Dismiss Meritless Claims In Texas

  

  In Texas, special appearances provide a useful but often overlooked tool for out-of-state defendants to escape meritless claims early in litigation, thus limiting discovery and creating a pathway for immediate appellate review, say attorneys at Winston & Strawn.

• When US Privilege 麻豆传媒 Applies To Docs Made Outside The US

  

  As globalization manifests itself in disputes over foreign-created documents, a California federal court鈥檚 recent trademark decision illustrates nuances of both U.S. privilege frameworks and foreign evidentiary protections that attorneys must increasingly bear in mind, say attorneys at Hunton.

• How Texas Bill Would Transform Noneconomic Damages

  

  Large noneconomic damage awards in personal injury cases have grown exponentially in Texas in recent years, but newly introduced legislation would cap such damages, likely requiring both the plaintiff and defense bars to recalibrate their litigation strategies, say attorneys at Norton Rose.

• 4 Holiday Movies Full Of Cheer And Subrogation Scenarios

  

  While holiday movies are known for spreading cheer and inspiring nostalgia, for insurance professionals they may also offer an unlikely, yet fascinating, look at subrogation recovery potential, says Dana Meyers at Cozen O'Connor.

• How Attorneys Can Master The Art Of Eye Contact At Trial

  

  As a growing body of research confirms that eye contact facilitates communication and influences others, attorneys should follow a few pointers to maximize the power of eye contact during voir dire, witness preparation, direct examination and cross-examination, says trial consultant Noelle Nelson.

• Teaching Your Witness To Beat The Freeze/Appease Response

  

  In addition to fight-or-flight, witnesses may experience the freeze/appease response at trial or deposition 鈥� where they become a deer in headlights, agreeing with opposing counsel鈥檚 questions and damaging their credibility in the process 鈥� but certain strategies can help, says Bill Kanasky at Courtroom Sciences.

• Think Like A 麻豆传媒yer: 1 Type Of Case Complexity Stands Out

  

  In contrast to some cases that appear complex due to voluminous evidence or esoteric subject matter, a different kind of complexity involves tangled legal and factual questions, each with a range of possible outcomes, which require a 鈥渟liding scale鈥� approach instead of syllogistic reasoning, says Luke Andrews at Poole Huffman.

• What Insurers Need To Know About OFAC's Expanded FAQs

  

  The Office of Foreign Assets Control's recently expanded insurance FAQs clarify how OFAC views insurance policies in a number of specific circumstances involving sanctioned parties, and make plain that sanctions compliance is the responsibility of all participants in the insurance ecosystem, including underwriters, brokers and agents, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

• Nevada Justices Could Expand Scope Of Subrogation Claims

  

  The Nevada Supreme Court's recent decision to hear North River Insurance v. James River Insurance could expand the scope of equitable subrogation claims in the state by aligning with the California standard, which doesn't require excess insurers to demonstrate damages, says Daniel Heidtke at Duane Morris.